In the restaurant industry and other industries where public traffic is required, many times the situation arises where water or other liquid has been inadvertently left on the floor or other surfaces. The liquid creates a slipping hazard to passersby. Even after removal of the liquid, a damp spot remains, creating a still further hazard. The damp spot is normally left uncovered in order to dry by exposure to normal air. In practice, many times a warning "teepee" is placed over this area to alert patrons or personnel of the slipping hazard created by the damp spot. The present invention allows for a portable and compact system to remove such liquid, accelerate the drying of the damp area left by such removal and warn passersby of the hazard created by the damp area. The applicable art to the present invention relates generally to wet-dry vacuum cleaners and, more specifically, to wet-dry carpet cleaner apparatus which channels the exhaust airflow from a vacuum motor through a series of hoses and onto the carpet to aid in the drying of the carpet as the cleaner is repeatedly drawn across it.
It is known in the art to provide complex systems of rotating impellers and tortuous path airflow to create a vacuum system which allows the separation of liquid and particulate matter from the working air. U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,397, by Harbeck et al, discloses such a device. Harbeck discloses a wet-dry suction cleaner which utilizes two streams of air to achieve a cooling of the driving motor without wetting of the motor windings by liquid suspended in the working air.
While the arrangement discussed by Harbeck assures longevity of the motor windings, it is complex and expensive in construction. Further, it does not achieve a utilization of the exhaust air created by the vacuum source to accelerate drying of the surface cleaned.
A similar wet-dry vacuum canister is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,290 by Bates. Bates teaches that a labyrinth system of annular passages allows the working air to be separated from the cooling air which is intaken into the windings of the vacuum unit to cool the motor. Bates additionally teaches the use of a separate hand held nozzle to direct the vacuum produced by the wet-dry motor and further to inject tap water onto the surface to be cleaned. As with Harbeck, the implementation of the Bates device is expensive and complex, requiring in addition to the complex vacuum motor, a set of connecting hoses, a hand held nozzle, and connection to a source of tap water under pressure.
The art also discloses many such devices which employ multiple free-standing canisters specifically designed to carry out portions of the vacuum, liquid injection and air injection tasks required in the cleaning of floor coverings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,925, by Burgoon, discloses a system of two free-standing, movable units connected by a series of hoses for use in cleaning in carpets. Burgoon teaches that a high-powered, wet-dry vacuum source may be used in conjunction with a separate movable nozzle unit. The nozzle unit directs a flow of detergent and the vacuum produced by the vacuum motor onto the carpet being cleaned. Burgoon further teaches that the exhaust produced from the vacuum motor may be channeled through a hose to the nozzle unit to aide in the dispersal of the detergent onto the carpet surface. A secondary usage Burgoon makes of this exhaust air is to aid in the partial drying of the carpet upon repeated passes of the nozzle unit over the carpet.
The device taught in Burgoon is complex to construct, assemble and use. Further, it is expensive and requires at least two men to operate it.
Similar, yet more complex, devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,663,984 and 3,774,262, both by Anthony et al. These patents teach a complex system of canisters connected through a plurality of hoses to a large movable vacuum head nozzle. In addition to a single canister which produces the required vacuum suction, these patents introduce the complexities of two air compressor pumps, a solution heater system and multiple pressure correction devices. Exhaust air generated by the vacuum pressure pump is channeled through a flexible hose from one of the canisters to the vacuum nozzle, which in turn directs such exhaust air toward the carpet for the purpose of facilitating drying with multiple passes of the vacuum head nozzle.
These patents, however, do not address the need for an inexpensive and compact system for picking up limited amounts of liquid and particulate matter and then drying the damp surface left behind without repeated movement of a nozzle.
Additionally, none of the disclosed devices in the prior art teach a single compact unit which allows liquid to be picked up by a vacuum source which is then stationed on the surface to complete the drying thereof without repeated movements across such surface, and without the constant attention of the user.
Further, the prior art does not disclose the use of a secondary and more efficient booster fan to redirect and accelerate the exhaust output by the vacuum source. Still further, none of the prior art discloses an incorporated, removable container to easily and quickly dispose of limited amounts of waste liquid and particulate matter raised by the vacuum source.
Additionally, none of the disclosed devices in the prior art teach the combination of a wet-dry vacuum system with safety elements to allow for signaling of the public or other users of the device of the danger presented by the damp surface left behind after the vacuuming process.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a single unit which provides an economical method of picking up limited amounts of liquid and particulate matter from a surface, and efficiently drying the damp surface left behind without repeated movement of the device. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a unit which may be operated by one person and may be left unattended during the drying phase of its operation. Additionally, it is desirable to achieve the cleanup and drying of a surface with a single compact unit which is economical to manufacture and of low cost to operate. It is also desirable to provide an easy method of removing the waste liquid raised by the vacuum source. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a signaling means during the drying phase of the operation to alert and warn the public or other users of the apparatus of the danger presented by the damp surface left behind after the vacuuming process has been completed.